Chinese anti-graft agency lifts the veil

AFP, BEIJING

Wed, Sep 04, 2013 - Page 6

The secretive anti-graft department of the Chinese Communist Party has launched a Web site, as Beijing promotes its anti-corruption campaign with a fanfare of publicity.

The Web site of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) officially went online this week, according to a statement posted on www.ccdi.gov.cn.

It was unveiled as authorities step up a graft crackdown that, according to Chinese media reports, has seen nine officials at or above vice ministerial level fall since new leaders under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) took over in November last year. For years, the CCDI has conducted its operations in secret, neither issuing statements to foreign media, nor publicizing a contact telephone number.

However, But despite the Web site launch, when news of the dismissal of senior official Jiang Jiemin (蔣潔敏) emerged yesterday it came via Xinhua news agency.

The CCDI site will be “a major channel” to release news, interpret policies, listen to public opinion and receive online reports of wrongdoing, according to an introductory statement on it.

“The building of the official Web site ... is a new measure to take the advantage of the Internet to carry out our work based on the needs of cultivating a fine Party culture and clean government and fighting corruption,” it said.

The Web site also detailed the CCDI’s five working steps and organizational structure, which includes 10 “discipline inspection and supervision offices” and other organs.

Two physical addresses and a corruption hotline were published — but no contact number for the agency itself was provided.